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Children of KU students to receive refurbished bicycles during party

LAWRENCE -- Children at Stouffer Place Apartments at the University of Kansas will bring new life to used bicycles that were refurbished last fall by inmates of the Lansing Correctional Facility.

The bicycles will be given to the children during the Stouffer Place Neighborhood Association's Winter Party, scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, in the Relay and Gridiron rooms of the Burge Union.

The Lawrence/Douglas County Fire and Medical Department will provide 10 helmets to accompany the bicycles.

Lansing officials presented the bikes in December to representatives from KU. The 10 bicycles were given to KU to acknowledge its donation of about 200 bikes collected by the Department of Student Housing last summer.

Vince Avila, associate director of student housing, said about 250 bicycles were collected from property maintained by the Department of Student Housing after students left in May. In cooperation with KU's Public Safety Office, the bicycles were stored for more than two months. During that time, about 50 bikes were claimed and collected by students.

Until this year, functioning bicycles were donated to the Lawrence Police Department and damaged property was disposed of. This year, however, city officials alerted student housing staff to the Lansing program.

A Lansing facility official said a crew of five to eight inmates rebuilt about 450 bicycles in 2004. Donations of bicycles and parts come from public and private organizations across the state.